The Kodocha Adventures
by penpen2
Summary: Adventures involving Sana-chan and Hayama as they slowly work out their feelings for one another :) ... 4th adventure is up!
1. The Forest Adventure

After reading soooo many fics on fanfiction.net, I've decided to contribute all my itty-bitty short ones… (all the long ones are either not finished or too long... but mostly the former). This one... I can't remember why or when I wrote this one. Spur of the moment (aren't they all?), yadiyadiyada... 

I don't own any of the characters… Though I wish I did… I'm just a fan who absolutely **_adores_** Kodocha, and the Sana/Hayama pairing. :) Now, onto the story! 

It takes place sometime after Hayama's dad goes into the hospital and Sana-chan consoles him (awwww!!!). 

///// The story… 

**The Forest Adventure**

"Oh, no! I'm late again!" 

Sana-chan bolted out of bed and rushed for the bathroom to brush her teeth. She passed a very groggy Rei-kun along the way. "Good morning, Rei-kun!" she chirped as she ran into the bathroom. 

"Ah, Sana-chan. Good morning." 

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, Rei-kun! I'm going to be late for school." 

"Aa, hai, Sana-chan." 

Following the typical morning car ride to school (which consisted of Rei-kun inching along slower than a crawling baby does), Sana-chan burst into her classroom out of breath. "So sorry I'm late!" she cried out, bowing low many times over. "So so-" She stopped in mid-sentence when she realized the classroom was empty save for Hayama. 

"Eh? Hayama? Where did everybody go?" 

Hayama was sitting on the back counter, eyes closed, arms crossed in a nonchalant devil-may-care manner. He opened his eyes when Sana-chan addressed him, in his trademark sullen stare. "They all went to the park for our assignment. I knew you were late, and you would forget." He closed his eyes again. 

_Am I_ that _predictable?_ Sana-chan wondered to herself. Aloud, she replied, "Oh, no! I completely forgot! Quick, Hayama! Let's get out there now!" She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out into the park beside the school. 

Mitsuya-sensei spotted them as they approached. "Sana-chan! Hayama-kun! The class has already gone into the woods and park. You two will have to be paired together." 

"What?! I was hoping to go with Aya-chan or Hisae-chan or Mami-chan!!!" Sana-chan despaired. Shaking herself out of her disappointment, she grabbed hold of Hayama again (who had not moved a muscle) and proceeded to drag him into the woods. "Ne, ne, Hayama! Let's go find the animals!" 

Hayama silently complied, mostly since Sana-chan was dragging him against his will anyway. 

"Oh, look! There's a ladybug!" Sana-chan exclaimed excitedly. "This assignment is so much fun, ne, Hayama? Getting to look for all the different animals in the forest is neat! Ne, Hayama? Hayama?" Sana-chan turned around to look at him. "Hayama! I said isn't it fun?" 

"Hmph." He glared off to the side, hands stuffed into pockets. 

"Ha-ya-ma!!! You're so hopeless." 

Hayama turned his glare on her. 

Completely unfazed, Sana-chan pointed giddily at a bird sitting up on a branch. "Ooh, look! A robin! It's so pretty!" 

"That's not a robin." 

"Eh?" Sana-chan turned to Hayama, surprised that he had spoken suddenly. His glare had toned down to a moody stare. "What are you talking about? Of course it's a robin. I've seen them plenty of times," Sana-chan waved him off with her hand. 

"It's not a robin," Hayama repeated. 

"How would you know? Robins are happy birds, and this bird is definitely happy!" 

Hayama felt like falling over, but somehow managed to keep himself upright. "It's a sparrow, stupid. Robins have red chests." 

"Stu…pid… Who are you calling stupid, Stupid Hayama!" Sana-chan whipped out her mallet and bonked him over the head with it several times. 

When she finally stopped, Hayama rose. "This is a total waste of time. I'm going home." 

Sana-chan sprang up in a huff. "Hayama!" she began threateningly. "Stop being bad. This is a lot of fun. You get to be outdoors and looking at all the cute creatures-" As if on cue, a Maro-chan-like squirrel appeared. "-and you're not stuck in a stuffy classroom." 

"Hmph," Hayama answered, turning away anyway. 

"Class! … Class! It's time to come in again!" Mitsuya-sensei's voice wafted through the trees. 

"Time to go back already?" Sana-chan began to head off towards school, but soon realized that Hayama was going in the opposite direction. "Oi, Hayama!" She grabbed the back of his shirt and began to haul him away. "Time to go back." 

"But you just said the classroom was stuffy." 

"Only when there's outdoor assignments like this!" 

Hayama tripped over himself at Sana-chan's logic, but recovered quickly. 

After school, Sana-chan raced to the car. "Rei-kun, Rei-kun! Hurry, hurry! It's time for Kodomo no Omocha!" 

"So much energy today, Sana-chan," Rei-kun observed. 

"We got to go outside today for a school project. We'll be going outside again tomorrow!" 

///// At the shooting… 

"Summer scent is in the air, Little birdies everywhere, Flitting, flying over trees, With the sound of bumblebees." Zenjirou grinned toothily at his students. "Can anyone think of a summer poem of their own?" 

"Oi, oi, oi! Me, me, me!" Sana-chan waved her arms in the air madly. 

"Aa, yes, Sana-chan? What's your poem?" 

Sana-chan jumped up onto her desk, hands on hips with a pleased look. "Outdoors smells like trees! April winds bring many flowers! Projects are fun and my partner is Hayama!" 

"That didn't even rhyme," Zenjirou mumbled. "I think you meant 'April showers bring May flowers'?" he asked more loudly. Recalling a past conversation, he asked, "Isn't Hayama that monkey boss?" 

"Not anymore! He's stopped his evil ways and has become a lone wolf!" A picture of Lone Wolf Hayama flashed across the screen. 

"I see. He doesn't cause anymore trouble then?" 

"That's right!" 

"I see, I see…. Now, does anyone else have summer poems to share?" 

///// After the show… 

"Rei-kun, Rei-kun! Did you like my poem?" 

"Yes, Sana-chan. It didn't make much sense, but it was good." 

"Many great poems don't make sense." 

"But, Sana-chan, the poets were all sick or crazy…" 

///// At home… 

"Maaaa-ma!" Sana-chan called out. "Did you hear my poem?" 

"Yes, I did. I'm sure Hayama liked it very much, as well." 

"Hayama? What about him? He's a lone wolf. Do you like it, Mama?" 

Mama snapped her fan open, hiding behind it. "To tell you the truth, Sana-chan," she began, sidling up to her daughter, "I didn't understand what you were saying." 

A gust of wind blew across the silent room as Sana-chan processed what her mother had just said. Maro-chan peered out of the Eiffel Tower on Mama's head. Suddenly, "Waaaiii! Such a nice compliment! I'm going to be a successful poet." 

"Poet?! Wh-What?!" Mama said, shocked. 

Sana-chan danced off, singing to herself. 

///// Next day… 

"Hayama! Don't dawdle!" Sana-chan scolded. "Let's go find more animals." She grabbed his shirt and ran along into the forest, Hayama bouncing along behind. "Did you like my poem, Hayama? I'm going to be a poet and an actress at the same time!" Sana-chan said, after they'd wandered around for a bit. She bent over to peer into a bush. 

"Poet? … Your poem was stupid." 

Sana-chan straightened, shocked. "What?! Maybe you didn't hear it properly." She cleared her throat. 

"I heard it fine," Hayama replied, not wanting to hear another rendition of her poem. 

Sana-chan ignored him. "Trees smell like outdoors! Many flowers come in April! Summer is fun!" 

Hayama's eye twitched. "That wasn't what you said yesterday…" 

"Of course it was, silly. Oi," Sana-chan flopped onto her feet. "Let's go somewhere else. There're no animals around. Maybe you're scaring them all away with your bad aura…" Hayama dressed up as a hoodlum, surrounded by blackness, popped into her head. She romped away, humming to herself. Hayama stared after her for a moment before following. 

///// Later… 

"Hayama, I'm hungry. Why hasn't Mitsuya-sensei called yet?" 

Hayama looked around. "I think you got us lost." A picture of Sana-chan towing Hayama through a broken-down 'No Trespassing' fence appeared in his mind. 

"I did not! Why would I do something crazy like that?" Sana-chan collapsed onto the grass. "But if we're lost…" She stared up at the sky for a moment. "I'm going to starve!!" 

"..." 

"What are we going to do?" 

"Look for the school, I guess." 

"I can't! My legs are too weak from hunger! If I go on any longer, I'll faint!" 

"We weren't out for that long." Hayama stared Sana-chan, but when she showed no signs of moving, he gave up and sat down to wait for her next boost of energy. 

Seeing him sit down, Sana-chan sat up. She poked at her animal list. "I think we've seen most of the animals," she murmured to herself. "How's your family?" she asked suddenly. 

Hayama glanced at her, startled by the suddenness of the question. He quickly regained his composure. "Fine, I guess. Father's come out of the hospital. Natsumi has to take care of him as well now." 

"Poor Natsumi-chan. She works so hard. I wonder what it would be like if my family were like that." She stopped, trying to imagine her family in Hayama's situation. When silence ensued, Hayama looked at Sana-chan from the corner of his eye. She looked thoughtful. Staring back down at the grass, Hayama brooded to himself. It was truly nice what she'd done for him and his family. And she'd been there when his father had been in the hospital… 

Without thinking, Hayama reached out and lightly grasped Sana-chan's shoulder. "Eh? Hayama? What's up? Did you figure out how to get back?" She blinked at the puzzling expression on his face. She'd never really seen him like this before. 

Hayama looked down, still holding Sana-chan's shoulder. "I…" 

"Hmm?" Sana-chan asked, completely clueless. 

"I…" Giving up on his sudden speech impairment, Hayama took hold of Sana-chan's other shoulder and pulled her towards him. Sana-chan's eyes widened in shock as he brought his lips to hers in a kiss. 

They parted, Sana-chan still in shock. Reacting quickly, she whipped out her mallet and raised it above her head, screeching, "HA-YA-MAAA-aaaaaaaa…" She suddenly started vibrating as the Buruccha turned on. "Rrrreeeiiii-kkkuuunnnn…" 

Hayama stood up, hands in pockets. "They're looking for us. We should go." He turned abruptly and began walking towards the sound of their classmates' shouts, which could be heard faintly, had they not been occupied. 

"Hayama…" Sana-chan watched Hayama's retreating back in confusion. 

///// After a bit more wandering, and a lot more bonking... 

"Sana-chan!" Rei-kun ran up to Sana-chan. "Are you okay? Were you hurt? Did you fall?" 

"No, no, Rei-kun, don't worry." She patted him reassuringly on the arm. "We were just lost." 

Mitsuya-sensei ran up. "Oh, I was so worried! I didn't know what to do, so I called your manager." 

"I used the Buruccha. Did it work?" he asked, holding his up. 

"It did, it did! Thanks for saving us Rei-kun!" Sana-chan answered, recalling the events that had taken place prior to that. 

///// At home… 

In her room, Sana-chan stared out the window, deep in contemplation. Why did Hayama kiss her again? Was he trying to tell her something? She recalled his words when she'd wanted to run away in humiliation. 'I don't hate you.' His father had said that when Hayama said 'don't hate', he meant 'love'… 

Sana-chan shook her head. It was too much for one night's thinking. 

"I'll think about it tomorrow," Sana-chan mumbled around yawns. Too tired to crawl into bed, she fell asleep at the sill. 

/// The End… 

That's it for now. Wow… I didn't think it would actually be that long. And to think I actually wrote it out by hand first. Too much babbling. I'll try to stop in later fics. 


	2. The Shopping Adventure

Hmm... I never planned to add anymore to The Forest Adventure, but... since it was requested... I'll try my best! The Forest Adventure had originally been written out of boredom, and I'd cut it off at the end cuz I was too lazy to have Sana analyze everything. Too tedious and long for me. Ah, well. Times change. And I'm actually writing a 2nd chapter to my story. That's a first.... Maybe this story will turn into a long one (haha! cough... yeah, right). 

Onto the story... (yet again, I don't own the characters, but I wish I did). This takes place a couple days after The Forest Adventure. 

/// The Story... 

**The Shopping Adventure**

Life was never dull at the Kurata residence, but that morning the world seemed at a standstill. Silence spread through the house, interrupted only by the occasional rustle of a newspaper page being turned. Mama and Rei-kun sat at the kitchen table, beginning their day with a quiet breakfast… 

Or so they thought. 

Moments later, a screech sounded as the embodiment of hyperactivity awoke. Wails of "I'm late!" could be heard through the ceiling as Sana-chan burst out of her room in a mad dash to reach the bathroom. Rei-kun shifted his newspaper to the side to better look at the clock mounted on the opposite wall. "Sana-chan's up early today," he commented. Mama made no reply, contentedly sipping her tea. 

Minutes later, Sana-chan ran down the stairs. "Ohhh, I'm late! Gotta go, Mama. See you later, Rei-kun!" As she was about to reach her shoes, Sana-chan seemed to stop in mid-air. 

"Not so fast, young lady," came the ominous voice behind her. Kicking and moaning, Sana-chan was towed back to the table by her mother in her car. "You haven't eaten breakfast yet. I won't let you set foot out of this house without a nutritious meal to start your day." So saying, she set a heaping plate of food in front of Sana-chan. "Now, eat." 

Sana-chan sighed and set to her plate with a will. Practically pouring the food down her throat, she finished breakfast in an inhuman amount of time. "What's the rush, Sana-chan? It's a Saturday. There's no school." Rei-kun asked, watching for any signs that Sana-chan was starting to choke. 

Sana-chan froze in the middle of eating. Saturday? No school? What was she doing awake? She pondered this a few more moments, before remembering. Through a mouthful, all that could be discerned from Sana-chan was: "Hamaya ... hospital." 

Mama smiled knowingly. "You had better hurry or they'll finish without you." 

"No way!" Sana-chan exclaimed, springing from her seat and rushing for the door. "They'll never get away from me! Not with my special Komowari Running Technique." To show them what she meant, Sana-chan began leaping around the lobby. Before anyone could comment, she was out the door and speeding off towards Hayama's house. 

"Hayama!" Sana-chan called out, running up to the front door. She rang the doorbell, repeating his name again. When she got no answer, she began pounding on the door. "Hayama!" Still, there was no answer. Sana-chan sighed and leaned against the door. "I guess they haven't come back yet. Oh, well! I'll just wait right heeeerrr-" The door opened suddenly, and Sana-chan fell onto her back with a thud. Hovering above her was an upside-down image of Hayama. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked, staring down at her sleepily. 

Sana-chan righted herself, smiling happily. "I'm here to help your dad settle in. Didn't you go pick him up from the hospital today?" 

Hayama's expression turned stony. "We haven't gone yet." 

Sana-chan fell over. "What do you mean you haven't gone yet? It's already-," she glanced at her watch, "7:15..." Her voice trailed off. "I thought you said you were going at 7'o'clock." She pursed her lips in confusion. 

"I said 11'o'clock," he glared. As an afterthought, he added, "Stupid." 

"Stupid?! Stupid Hayama!" Sana-chan proceeded to bonk him over the head with her mallet. 

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Okay, okay!" Hayama brought his arms up in a futile attempt to block himself. Sana-chan quickly hid her mallet away. 

"Can I come in?" she asked, already stepping into the house. 

Giving up, Hayama closed the door after her. "I guess." 

"Hope you don't mind. I'll just sit in the living room and watch TV until you're ready to go." 

Hayama followed as she made her way towards the couch. Curling up onto it, she turned the TV on and began flipping through the channels. "Fine. Make yourself at home," Hayama replied, seeing that Sana-chan was doing just that anyway. He climbed onto the other end of the couch, propping his head up on his elbow. 

"Hayama?" 

"Mm." 

"After we fix everything up for your father, what would you like to do? There's a whole day ahead of us, and I didn't plan a single thing. We could go to the park, or to a café. Or… I know! We could go shopping! Shopping is so much fun! And we could get some ice cream afterwards. I wonder what flavor I should get." Sana-chan turned to Hayama for approval, but discovered that he'd fallen asleep. She smiled affectionately. She had to admit that Hayama had his moments. As she watched him sleep, an idea formed into her head. She smiled conspiratorially to herself, and quickly exited the room. 

///// An hour of searching later... 

Sana-chan tiptoed back into the living room, wearing a bandana over her nose and mouth. The key to her plan depended on Hayama continuing to sleep. She had to dress the part to become one with the role. Giggling to herself, Sana-chan lifted an object up to her face, peering at Hayama through it. 

Click. 

Hayama started at the noise, waking immediately. Slowly his eyes focused at the girl in front of him and, when he realized that she was holding in her hand, jumped up in indignation. "Hey! What are you doing with that?!" 

Sana-chan only giggled some more, pulling the photograph away. "Aww, I have a picture of Sleeping Hayama. Oh, look. You're sleeping like a frog." 

"Don't you mean 'log'?" Hayama corrected. Watching her wave the photograph in front of him, Hayama made a lunge for it, but Sana-chan pulled back at the last moment. 

"Hehe, I'm too fast for you!" As she continued to dodge Hayama from every direction, she continued. "Of course, this could only be acquired from years of training at Komowari Theatre. No one can surpass my speed!" 

Hayama finally gave up and sat on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. "Hmph." 

Sana-chan leapt up beside him, pleased with herself. "Do you know what I'm going to do with this picture, Hayama?" When she got a glare in reply, she answered, "I'm going to keep it with me for all of today. If you don't buy me a present, I'll show everyone this picture of you!" 

Hayama eyed Sana-chan for a moment. This girl had some sick sort of humor. Why did he like her again? The answer seemed to be alluding him. 

"Just to be sure you don't try anything weird, I'm putting the picture in my pocket." She slipped it into a pocket sewn onto the front of her shirt. 

"What makes you think I won't try to get it?" Hayama asked, calmly. 

"Pervert!!" Sana-chan shouted, bonking him repeatedly on the head. "Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" 

"What's going on down here? Akito, stop making such a racket!" A groggy Natsumi shuffled into the living room. "Oh, Sana-chan!" she gasped, startled. "I didn't know you were here. I should get changed!" She ran back up to her room. 

Hayama rose from the couch. "So should I. We'll be going soon." 

"Okay!" Sana-chan sat back, but quickly stood when she noticed Hayama taking his time. "Hayama! Hurry up! I want to go SHOPPING!!" With that, she shoved him up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. "You better hurry!" she shouted through the door. "Or else, I'll have to show everyone ... the 'picture'." 

"What picture?" Natsumi asked, curiously, stepping out of her room dressed and ready to go. 

"Oh, just this picture I took of Hayaa-" Sana-chan was cut off as Hayama burst from his room, ready to go, and grabbed her in a headlock. 

"It's nothing," Hayama replied, dragging Sana-chan down to the living room. He unceremoniously dropped her onto the couch and she popped up into a sitting position. 

"Nothing?! What do you mean 'nothing'?! This is a priceless-" 

She was restrained from talking further as Hayama clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shut up." Sana-chan's eyes widened for a moment, but then closed in a fit of giggles. Hayama sighed, removing his hand and walking to the kitchen to eat breakfast. 

///// After breakfast... 

Sana-chan marched along the sidewalk cheerily, humming a tuneless melody to herself. Natsumi smiled down at her. "You're so happy today, Sana-chan. You're always in such a good mood." 

Sana-chan beamed in response. "Today, I'm feeling especially happy. And do you know why? Because Hayama and I are going shopping, shopping, shopping!!!" 

Natsumi paused. "Shopping? Hayama actually agreed to go shopping?" 

Sana-chan nodded her head vigorously. Bonking his head with her mallet, she shouted, "Yup!" 

"Oi, I haven't done anything yet," Hayama replied, as Sana-chan continued her bonking. 

They arrived at the hospital quickly, and retrieved Hayama's father. Once at home, Sana-chan became a blur of activity, making him a very comfortable seat on the couch. "Make yourself at home. Want a cup of tea? How about some snacks? Would you like a footstool as well? Maybe a blanket, and some cushions." Hayama's father sat amidst the whirlwind of girl calmly, as he began to disappear under a mountain of amenities. 

Hayama leaned against the doorframe. "Yo, are we going yet?" 

Sana-chan stopped beside the coffee table. "Yeah, yeah! Sorry, Hayama Chi-chi, but we're going shopping! Bye bye! Hayama, let's go!" With that, she ran out of the room. 

Hayama stayed behind long enough to hear his father say, "Come again soon, Sana-chan." Hayama shoved his hands into his pocket and followed Sana-chan out the door. 

"Hayama, Hayama! Hurry, hurry. We haven't got all day! There's so many stores to visit, and you have to treat me to some ice cream." 

"I don't remember saying that." 

"Don't be silly. Of course you didn't say that. But out of thanks to me for going shopping with you, you should buy me some ice cream." 

"Why should I?" 

"Why should you? Because you want to, Stupid Hayama!" Sana-chan began bonking him over the head again. She stopped though, when she remembered about her secret weapon. "And, if you don't, I'll show everyone at school how cute you look when you sleep." Hayama's glance fell down to the pocket on her shirt that held the offending picture. Sana-chan was quick to notice. "Pervert! Stop staring at me! Stop it, stop it, stop it!" 

"It's not my fault you put the picture there," Hayama retorted, looking back up to her face. 

"You shouldn't be looking! Pervert child, pervert child!" She cut off when she realized that Hayama was walking ahead. "Hayama! Wait for me!" she cried, running after him. 

///// 10 stores, and 2 hours later... 

"Hayama, Hayama! Look at that. Isn't it the cutest?" Sana-chan bent towards the window case, pointing towards a white teddy bear. 

"No," came the reply. 

"What do you mean no?!" Sana-chan burst out. "It's so adorable!" 

"It's ugly." He turned and continued walking down the street. 

"Ugly? That's so mean! That teddy bear is cute!" 

"Ugly." 

"Cute!" 

"Ugly." 

"Cute, I say! Cute, cute, cute!!" 

Hayama paused to look back at her with his expressionless face. "Whatever." He stared thoughtfully at his shoes. 

Sana-chan smiled giddily. "Aha! Hayama agreed with me! This day is turning out so wonderful!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands together. She suddenly spotted something across the street and ran across to better investigate. Ignoring her, Hayama began to retrace his steps in the direction they had come from. 

Sana-chan was completely oblivious to the fact that Hayama had, in essence, abandoned her, and peered into the window of the store she'd seen. "Oh, ice cream! Hayama, let's go get some!" She turned expectantly towards Hayama, and found an empty space behind her. "Eh? Hayama? Hayama, where are you? Now where did he go? He promised me! ... Oh, well. I'll just get the ice cream myself, then." So saying, she skipped happily into the store. 

Meanwhile, Hayama had backtracked to the store with the teddy bear. He stared at the teddy bear in contempt for a moment before walking into the store. Moments later, he came out clutching a small paper bag in his hand. He headed back towards the spot where he'd left Sana-chan, but, upon arriving, realized she wasn't there. He scanned the area for an overly bubbly girl, but couldn't see anyone matching that description. Shrugging, he began to return home. 

At that moment, Sana-chan stepped out of the ice cream store, an ice cream cone in each hand, and spotted him. "Hayama! Hayama!" She waved her hand in the air madly, almost tipping an ice cream cone over. "There you are!" she smiled, running across the road to greet him. "Were you here the whole time? I didn't even see you." She shrugged, then thrust a cone in front of his face. "Here you are! I couldn't see you, so I bought the ice cream." 

Hayama stared at her offering, a little surprised, but accepted it nonetheless. He immediately began to eat it. Sana-chan glared at him. "No, no, no! You're supposed to say 'thank you' first!" 

Hayama stopped in mid-lick. "Why?" 

"Why?! Because it's polite! That's why!" Sana-chan bonked him over the head. "You're welcome though." She smiled, then noticed the bag in his hand. "What's that?" she asked, poking at it. She took it from his hand and began opening it. 

"Hey! Speaking of polite, give that back!" He tried to swipe it back, but she sidestepped him and removed the contents. 

"Oh, is this for me?! Hayama, that's so nice of you! It's..." She stopped as she unwrapped the bits of tissue paper from around the object, uncovering a slightly deformed stuffed toy bumblebee. "What's this?" 

"It's a bumblebee," Hayama stated, matter-of-factly. 

"I _know_ it's a bumblebee, but what about my teddy bear! I said the teddy bear was cute, not the bumblebee! Who looks at bumblebees in a toy store anyway?" She paused. "But I like it because Hayama got it for me!" She skipped off, swinging the bumblebee in one hand. 

Hayama watched after her with his poker face. Finally, he followed her, muttering, "Scary girl." 

They arrived at the park, and sat down on a bench in a small sheltered area. Sana-chan sighed happily to herself. Today was a success, if she said so herself. All in all, Hayama had behaved rather well in his usual sort of way. She stared up at the ceiling of the shelter in quiet contemplation, swinging her legs. Hayama glanced at her peaceful face, wondering what she was thinking. It was unusual for her to be quiet for long periods of time... He studied her profile in silence, wondering if or how anyone could _not_ like her, and then mentally beating up any guys who should. 

She noticed him watching her, and turned to him. He pulled back, a blush forming on his cheeks. "Thank you for the present," she replied, smiling sweetly. "It was really nice of you." 

Taken aback and struck by how pretty she looked right then, he blushed even more. Quickly, though, he straightened, resuming a neutral expression. "Whatever," he answered gruffly to hide his sudden vulnerability. 

Sana-chan smiled even more, aware of his uncomfortableness. She resumed staring at the ceiling. "Why did you buy it?" she asked. 

Hayama stared at the ground. "Why did I buy it?" he repeated. "Because... because... I don't hate you." 

Sana-chan giggled a little at that. "Why did you say that again? You said that last time, when we were in the park at night. And when I talked to your father, he said-." Realization dawned on Sana-chan. 

Embarrassed that Sana-chan understood his meaning, Hayama quickly stood up. "I'm going home." 

"Hayama, wait!" Sana-chan sprang up. He complied, waiting for her to continue. "I... I really do think it was nice of you," she began, somewhat awkwardly. "But if you're trying to bribe me into giving back that picture, think again! I'm going to keep it just in case!" She jabbed him in the back with her finger repeatedly. 

"Hmph. I don't care." Hayama began to walk off. 

"Don't care? We'll see if you don't care when I show the whole school your photo!" Sana-chan called after him. She turned to head home as well, then turned to shout, "Good night, Hayama!" Then, she was gone. 

Hayama arrived home and passed by his father on his way to his room. "Akito, you're home. How was shopping with Sana-chan?" 

"It wasn't bad." 

"That's good to hear." His father smiled at him, and he continued to his room. 

"I'm going to bed." Once settled down, he stared out the window, watching the city lights flicker and wondering what Sana-chan was doing then. 

///// At Sana-chan's house... 

"Oh? A bumblebee?" Mama peered over her fan at the toy in Sana-chan's hand. "I see." 

"That evil kid gave Sana-chan a bumblebee? What kind of present is that?!" Rei-kun exclaimed indignantly. 

"Ne, ne, Rei-kun. It's all right. I'm starting to like this bumblebee a lot. It's cute in its own way." Sana-chan smiled down at the bumblebee toy and skipped off to her room. "Time for sleep!" 

"Hmm..." Mama watched Sana-chan run off to bed, a smile hiding behind her fan. 

/// The End... 

Ta-dah! Need I say more? (It's a miracle in itself that I was able to complete a 2nd installation to The Adventures) 


	3. The Missing Friend Adventure

Wow. The 3rd installment in a series that wasn't intended to be a series. We know I'm supposed to be studying when... haha... *cough* I mean... after a calculated amount of time, I have decided to return to the ff.net world. Riiiiight... I completely amaze myself with my ability to procrastinate. 

To reinforce a much-stressed point, I don't own the characters, but, god, do I wish I did. This takes place somewhere between a couple days and a week after The Shopping Adventure. 

/// The Story... 

**The Missing Friend Adventure**

Waking up late everyday had begun to take a monotonous turn, and Sana-chan was determined to liven her life a little. The alarm clock woke her an hour early, and she jumped out of bed, excited to be doing something different that morning. "Good morning, Hayama-bee!" she chirped to the stuffed bumble bee resting beside her alarm clock. It stared at her in Hayama-fashion, and she beamed at it. She prepared herself for school and went downstairs to eat her breakfast. 

Upon entering the kitchen, she was greeted with a mixture of surprise and shock from Mama and Rei-kun. "Why are you up so early?" Mama demanded. "You can't be my daughter. What have you done with her?" 

"Relax, Mama. It's me, it's me. It was getting too boring, waking up late all the time, so I decided to do something different today." 

Mama paused to think through Sana-chan's logic before settling back in her seat. "Well, eat your breakfast then." 

Sana-chan willingly complied. Rei-kun finished his reading his newspaper, and rose to drive her to school. She stopped him, however, with a reminder that she wanted to do things differently that day. "I'll walk to school today, Rei-kun. You don't have to drive me. Walking will be something different from usual." 

Rei-kun hesitated, but, with a look from Mama, he sat back down at the table. "Alright, Sana-chan. But be careful." 

"Rei-kun, you worry too much. The school isn't _that_ far away. Anyway, I'll probably see my friends along the way." 

Still doubtful, Rei-kun said nothing. 

As predicted, Sana-chan met up with Tsuyoshi-kun and Aya-chan on the way to school. "Tsuyoshi-kun, Aya-chan! Good morning!" Sana-chan called out cheerily. 

"Sana-chan, what are you doing here so early?" Aya-chan asked, forgetting to greet Sana-chan in her astonishment. 

"Surprised you, didn't I?" Sana-chan asked gleefully. 

"Well, yes. I mean, you usually go to school later, don't you?" 

"I decided to go to school early today! I have to do something different once in a while!" Sana-chan answered. She broke out into a run. "Hurry up. I want to get to school." 

Tsuyoshi-kun and Aya-chan chased after her. "Sana-chan, what's the rush?" 

"I've never been to school so early before. I want to see what it's like!" 

///// At school... 

"So this is what happens before school," Sana-chan remarked, scanning the school yard. "Look! There's Mami-chan and Hisae-chan! Let's go talk to them!" She ran off to join in their conversation. 

Tsuyoshi-kun turned to Aya-chan with a glance at his watch. "I wonder where Akito-kun is. He's usually here by now." 

"He wouldn't purposely skip school, would he?" Aya-chan asked uncertainly. 

"I don't know. I don't think he would," Tsuyoshi-kun replied slowly. 

"He'd better get here soon, or else we'll have to wait another day." Tsuyoshi-kun nodded his head in agreement. As the bell rang to indicate the start of school, he noticed a lone figure walk leisurely into the yard. 

"Oh, look! There he is. We don't have to worry about anything then." As Hayama joined them, Tsuyoshi-kun smiled to his friend. "Morning, Akito-kun." 

"Morning." 

"You're later than usual today." 

"So?" 

"Oh, nothing. You just usually get to school earlier. Anyway, I think Sana-chan said she wanted to see you in the music room at lunch." 

"Why doesn't she ask me herself?" 

"She's busy talking to Hisae-chan. I just remembered that she mentioned it." 

Hayama glanced over to the bubbly girl and noted the truth to Tsuyoshi-kun's words. Deciding to ignore him, Hayama walked into class, Tsuyoshi-kun trailing after him hopefully. 

///// At lunch... 

"Sana-chan, have you seen Hayama-kun today?" Aya-chan asked worriedly. "He was supposed to meet Tsuyoshi-kun at lunch and it's already started." 

Sana-chan's face set in a look of determination. Placing her hands on her hips, she contemplated the situation. "Hmm... I know!" 

Aya-chan puzzled at her exclamation. "You do? Where is he?" she asked, cautiously. 

"Eh? What are you talking about, Aya-chan? I don't know where Hayama is. But I know where my lunch is!" She ran to her desk and pulled her lunch bag from out of it. "I wonder what Mama made me," she pondered aloud, sifting through its contents. 

"Sana-chan! This is serious! Hayama-kun could be in trouble! Tsuyoshi-kun's really worried." 

Sana-chan waved her off with her hand. "Relax, relax. Hayama knows how to take care of himself. He's a big boy now." 

"But what if something happened to him? Hayama-kun doesn't usually forget." 

Sana-chan stopped, letting this new idea roll through her head. "You're right! Hayama could be drowning in a pool somewhere!" An image of Hayama half-submerged in water appeared in her mind's eye. "Or a gust of wind could have swept his homework away and he's chasing it down right now!" She giggled slightly at the thought of Hayama trying to climb a utility pole to get to his snagged homework. 

"Could that really happen?" Aya-chan asked doubtfully, mentally questioning the sanity of her friend. 

"Of course it could," Sana-chan replied cheerily, patting Aya-chan's shoulder. "Now, let's go find him!" 

Aya-chan brightened. "We should, shouldn't we?" 

"Now, where would Hayama be hiding?" 

"I don't think he's hiding..." 

Completely ignoring Aya-chan, Sana-chan pointed to her left. "Aya-chan, you look that way. I'll go this way." She pointed ahead of her. 

"But Sana-chan... that's the girls' washroom. Hayama-kun wouldn't go in there." 

"I know. But I really have to go to the washroom." With that she ran off. 

Aya-chan sighed, then walked off feeling lucky. 

Inside the girls' washroom, Sana-chan stood at the sink, washing her hands. As she turned off the tap, she looked up into the mirror and noticed the reflection of graffiti on the wall behind her. She turned around to take a look and read the message: _If you want to see Hayama Akito again, go to the music room._ Sana-chan frowned at it for a moment before skipping out of the washroom. "To the music room," she sang to herself. "This is easier than I thought it would be." 

Upon entering the music room, however, Sana-chan realized that it was empty. "Funny," she murmured. "The message said that I'd see him hear..." 

"Kurata," came a voice from within the shadows of a corner. 

Sana-chan jumped back in fright. Grabbing her mallet, she began to attack the stranger with a series of well-aimed Komawari bonks. "Pervert! Pervert! Help me, somebody! There's a pervert in the music room!" 

The stranger reached up amidst the bonks and grabbed her wrist, preventing further damage to his head. "No one told you to come here by yourself, stupid." 

Sana-chan blinked, finally focusing in on the figure of Hayama. "Hayama! What do you think you're doing, putting signs up in the girls' washroom and luring them to the music room to attack them?! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!" She bonked him again for good measure. 

"What sign? I thought you wanted to see me," Hayama answered in defense, his eyes already darting about the room suspiciously. 

Through a crack in the door, Tsuyoshi-kun and Aya-chan could be seen peering in on the scene unfolding. "Oh, no. I think they've found us out, Tsuyoshi-kun. What are we going to do?" Aya-chan whispered worriedly. 

She need not have feared, for Sana-chan shrugged instantly and sat herself in one of the chairs. "Sure. I only saw you last period, but that's okay. What were you doing before I came down?" she asked, diverting Hayama's attention away from their surroundings. 

"Nothing." 

"Oh, you had to be doing something. You can't just do nothing." Sana-chan smiled at her own cleverness, swinging her legs back and forth. She caught sight of a tray containing two drinks on it. "Hey! You made something to drink! See, liar! You _did_ do something! That was nice of you!" Bounding out of her chair, she skipped to the tray and downed one of the drinks in one gulp. 

Hayama stared at her. "I didn't make any drinks." 

"Here, have the other one." Sana-chan offered him the other cup. Hayama stared down at it skeptically. 

"Which one did she drink?" Tsuyoshi-kun whispered. 

"The normal one, I think," Aya-chan replied. 

"That means that Akito-kun gets... ohh-" Tsuyoshi-kun trailed off, watching Hayama stare at the cup in distrust. 

"Come on, Hayama. It's only orange juice." 

Hayama looked up at Sana-chan, studying her face for signs of pain or rabies. Finally, when he was satisfied that she was not in any danger of poisoning, he slowly took the cup from her. Sana-chan hurried back to her chair and resumed swinging her legs. Hayama continued to stare at the contents of his cup for a few more moments, obviously wary. 

Sana-chan noticed this and giggled. "Hayama, you're such a scaredy-bat!" 

"It's scaredy-cat, and no, i'm not." Glaring at her, he brought the cup to his lips and swallowed the juice in one mouthful. 

"Ooh," Sana-chan taunted, clearly amused. "You only did that because I was teasing you." 

"No, I didn't. I was thirsty." He paused. Was he getting slightly dizzy or was that his imagination? Before he could confirm or deny the dizziness, it passed. Shaking his head, he looked back at Sana-chan. She sat there, humming tunelessly, looking up at him with a knowing smile. Suddenly, he was hit with a sudden urge to blurt out his feelings for her. The moment seemed right. She was happy; they were alone. What more could he possibly ask for? He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He tried again. "I... I..." 

"You know, this seems awfully familiar. Has this happened before?" Sana-chan tilted her head to the side in contemplation, trying to bring back fuzzy memories. 

Still, Hayama continued to struggle through his declaration. "I... I..." 

And behind the door, Tsuyoshi-kun and Aya-chan could only shake their heads in defeat. "Next time, we'll have to label the cups so that Sana-chan takes the fixed one. It doesn't seem to work on Hayama-kun," Aya-chan murmured. 

Tsuyoshi-kun turned and began to walk back towards their classroom. "Even when drugged, he can't seem to tell her how he feels. He's hopeless." 

Inside, Hayama dueled with his tongue. "I..." 

"Hayama, you forgot what you were going to say, didn't you?" Sana-chan asked. "It's okay. I forget things all the time. If you wait long enough, you'll remember. We should go back to class soon." A thud turned her attention away from class. Sana-chan looked up to see Hayama kicking the wall repeatedly in frustration. "Hayama! Stop vandalising school property! I told you that you'll remember soon." When he showed no signs of slowing down, she whipped out her mallet and began bonking him over the head with it. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" 

With the last bonk, he stopped and turned towards her. Unfortunately, the sadistic urge to confess swept over him again. "I... I..." 

"Stupid Hayama, stop it! We'll be late for class if you don't. Lunch is almost over... Oh, no! Lunch! I completely forgot about it! I haven't even eaten yet! Oh, no! What am I going to do?! I'll starve to death! No one will ever see this beautiful face again! How could I not eat lunch?! Hurry, Hayama! I still have time to eat!" With that said and a quick glance towards the clock (which indicated 5 minutes before the end of lunch period), she dashed out of the room to inhale her food. 

Hayama stopped stuttering the moment she left the room. He cast one last disdained glare at his empty cup before stuffing his hands into his pockets. Walking out after Sana-chan, he headed off with the intent of having a private "talk" with Tsuyoshi-kun. 

///// Upstairs... 

"Sana-chan. You should be careful not to eat so fast," Tsuyoshi-kun cautioned, watching Sana-chan shovel her lunch down her throat with lightning speed. "It's not safe. You could hurt yourself." 

"Oi, Tsuyoshi-kun." 

Tsuyoshi-kun looked up to see Hayama staring at him expressionlessly, though he had angled himself in such a way as to not look at Sana-chan. "Oh, uh, Akito-kun. Where were you during lunch? We couldn't find you." He shifted nervously on the spot. Hayama's blank exterior was starting to make him nervous. 

"Actually, I need to talk to you about that." 

"Really? D-Did something happen?" 

Hayama just looked at Tsuyoshi-kun, deciding to let that be his answer. 

Aya-chan jumped in to save Tsuyoshi-kun. "Look, class is starting! We'd better sit down." Tsuyoshi-kun was quick to listen, running to his desk. 

Hayama glared after him as he returned to his own desk. Sana-chan had, meanwhile, managed to finish her lunch. She proudly put her lunch bag away, oblivious to the goings-on around her. "That was delicious! I hope Mama makes more of that again!" 

Hisae-chan and Mami-chan stared at her in disbelief. "Wow, Sana-chan. You're so awesome! How could you even taste your lunch?" 

"With lots of training for my Speed-Eating Technique at Komawari Theatre!" Sana-chan answered, proudly. Her friends stared at her in admiration, before they were forced to sit down for class. 

///// At home, after school... 

"I'm home!" Sana-chan called out, running in. 

"Ah, Sana-chan. How was school today?" Mama appeared at the entrance in her car. 

"It was lots of fun. Hayama got lost, but I managed to find him because he told me where to go. We had juice and Hayama was going to tell me something, but he forgot. Then I ate your lunch, and it was yummy, yummy, yummy! After school, Hayama was being mean, but I stopped him." 

Mama raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh? Mean, you say?" 

"Yeah, yeah! He was being Stupid Hayama, chasing after Tsuyoshi-kun. But don't worry, Mama. I won't let Hayama bully anyone again!" She beamed, remembering how she'd managed to stop Hayama with her mallet. He'd started stuttering again, but Sana-chan had reassured him that he'd remember what he'd wanted to say, before she ran off to Rei-kun's car. 

As Sana-chan skipped off to her put her school bag away, Mama smiled to herself. "I believe Hayama will never bully anybody as long as Sana-chan is around." 

/// The End... 

Success! A _third_ Adventure is complete! Hmm... corny ending, but my creative energy is running a little on the low side. Hopefully the 4th installment will be more waffy. Depends on how much I can think up without making it too sappy. ;) 


	4. The Zoo Adventure

Personally, I was kinda disappointed with my 3rd chapter. It just didn't click with me. So, to make up for the 3rd chapter, I'm writing a 4th chapter (haha! what is the world coming to?!). And since I've had people hoping for some wonderful fluff, I think I will satisfy the masses (well.. not _that_ many people...) and make this chapter nice and cutesy. ;) 

Again, I wish I was creative enough to come up with the characters of Kodocha... alas I lack any creativity of the sort and am only stealing the characters for my own devious plots.... :( This story begins a couple days after The Missing Friend Adventure. 

/// The Story... 

**The Zoo Adventure**

A gentle breeze rustled through the trees lining a quiet suburban road. Quiet chirps of resting birds could be heard through the leaves, sounding every so often. All was peaceful. Hayama stood outside the gates of a relatively large mansion, leaning against its wrought iron posts. His minutes passed in silence, listening as the city slowly began to awaken. 

"Good morning, Akito-kun," Tsuyoshi-kun greeted, approaching his best friend with a smile. 

"Morning," was all the reply he received. 

"Is Sana-chan coming out soon?" 

"No." 

Tsuyoshi-kun gave Hayama a questioning look. "No? But I thought we agreed to meet at 10'o'clock this morning." 

"We did." 

Tsuyoshi-kun was now confused. It didn't help that Hayama's answers were short and to the point. "Did she forget? Did she go out already?" 

"No." 

Despairing of ever discovering the reason why Sana-chan wasn't coming out soon, Tsuyoshi-kun leaned back beside Hayama, puzzling through the information silently. Finally, he asked, "Why isn't she coming out yet?" 

"Because she's still asleep." 

Having asked the right question that explained the situation to him, Tsuyoshi-kun smiled. "Did you already ring the doorbell, then?" 

"No," Hayama answered. Technically, this was true, he conceded to himself. He hadn't rung the doorbell; he'd just knocked on the door. The Kurata maid had answered, replying that Sana-chan hadn't awoken yet. She had assured Hayama that she would wake Sana-chan immediately, and that had been 10 minutes ago. Hayama wondered what she looked like when she slept. It was the only time she was still and peaceful. Sana-chan had fallen asleep on his couch before, but his family had been home and he couldn't watch her then. 

Tsuyoshi-kun grinned, seeming to read Hayama's thoughts. "You really like her, don't you, Akito-kun?" 

Hayama glared at his friend for being able to voice what he could not. "Hmph." 

Falling into his own musings, Tsuyoshi-kun replied, "It's too bad that Aya-chan couldn't come along. It would've been a lot of fun." 

_Even _I_ wish she'd come_, Hayama thought to himself. Now he had to share Sana-chan's attention with Tsuyoshi-kun. That only made him glare harder. 

A sudden wail sounded, sending Tsuyoshi-kun into a fit of shudders. Hayama continued glaring ahead, unphased. "I'm late! Oh, no! How could I be late?! Mama! Rei-kun! Why didn't you call me?!" 

"We tried, but you wouldn't wake up," came the calm reply from Mama. "Your friends are waiting outside." 

"Oh, I can't believe I slept in! Of all days, too!!" 

Tsuyoshi-kun shook his head. "Just like Sana-chan to sleep in and be late." Hayama kept silent. 

Within minutes, Sana-chan dashed out the door, fully dressed and ready to go. "Good morning!! To the zoo!" Tsuyoshi-kun could only gape in shock that Sana-chan could've gotten ready in so little time. Hayama ignored both and began walking off towards the nearby subway station. 

Interpreting this as a sign of annoyance, Sana-chan ran after Hayama. "Please forgive me, but I slept in and Mama and Rei-kun tried to wake me up but they couldn't because I was having such a nice dream about going on a picnic and--" 

"Shut up." 

Sana-chan blinked in surprise, then began a glaring contest with Hayama. "That's so rude! I was trying to explain--" 

"You were giving me a headache." 

"You're so mean!! As mean as a bean, as cunning as an ox!" With that, she used her purse as a projectile, landing it against the back of Hayama's head. 

"Ox? I thought it was fox," Tsuyoshi-kun murmured to himself. 

Having created no reaction out of Hayama, Sana-chan stopped her silliness for a short moment. "I really am sorry." 

"Fine. Hurry up or we're going to miss the train." 

Sana-chan's face broke out into a grin. "We're catching the train? Really? Oh, I didn't know that! This is going to be so much fun!" So saying, she hooked arms with each boy and began skipping down the sidewalk. 

///// At the zoo... 

Having purchased their admission tickets, the trio referred to a map of the zoo that Tsuyoshi-kun had thought to bring. Sana-chan became all excitement, realizing exactly what animals were contained within. "Look! They have lions and tigers! There's panda bears too. Oh, and wolves!" She turned to Hayama with a sly grin. "Maybe you can get to know them and you'll all be lone wolves together." 

Hayama regarded her in silence, wondering what drugs had been snuck into her breakfast. 

"Sana-chan, what do you want to see first?" Tsuyoshi-kun asked. 

"All of them!" Sana-chan shouted, jumping up and down happily. 

"I don't think it's possible to see them all at once," Tsuyoshi-kun began. "Why don't we go around in a circle." He indicated a path leading around the zoo. "That way, we can see all the animals here." 

"Wow, Tsuyoshi-kun! That's a great idea!" Sana-chan slapped him on the back in approval before marching off. 

Tsuyoshi-kun turned to Hayama, rather proud of himself for coming up with such a good plan. He stopped short at the look Hayama was levelling at him. "Oh, uh... I'm sure you were thinking about it in your head." 

"Hmph," was the reply. With hands stuffed into pockets, Hayama led Tsuyoshi-kun after Sana-chan, who was gleefully trying to attract the attention of a pigeon. 

"Look at all the animals they have in the zoo. There are so many birds!" She pointed to a clump of trees, with shining eyes. Turning their attention in the indicated direction, Hayama and Tsuyoshi-kun noticed a flock of pigeons pecking away at the ground. 

"Sana-chan, those are pigeons. You can find them all over the city," Tsuyoshi-kun explained. 

"Don't be silly, Tsuyoshi-kun. You can only find them at the zoo. Why else would they be here?" 

"Stupid. Let's go look at the _real_ animals," Hayama replied, turning towards the lion area. 

"Hey! Who're you calling stupid? Those are real animals too! Stupid Hayama!" Sana-chan called out indignantly. She and Tsuyoshi-kun followed nonetheless. 

///// An hour later... 

"I'm so hungry. Where's the nearest restaurant?" Sana-chan moaned, clutching her stomach. It grumbled in response. 

"Oi, Tsuyoshi-kun. Are you sure this is the path we were supposed to take?" Hayama asked doubtfully, scanning the immediate surroundings. All he could see were row upon row of trees. Even the path they had been treading had given way to dirt, and was no longer visible. 

"It should be," Tsuyoshi-kun hesitated, uneasily. "The map told us to go this way." 

"Let me see," Hayama demanded, snatching the map from Tsuyoshi-kun's hands. He studied it for some moments, then turned it over when he found everything exactly as Tsuyoshi-kun had said. He immediately noticed something on the cover. "Tsuyoshi-kun..." He looked up at his friend stonily. 

"Yes? Did you find a way back?" Tsuyoshi-kun peered over Hayama's shoulder obliviously. 

"Where did you get this map?" 

"What does that have anything to do with going back? I need food!" Sana-chan wailed. 

Tsuyoshi-kun scratched his head. "I think I found it stuck in my mom's purse. Why?" 

Hayama thrust the map back into Tsuyoshi-kun's hand. "This is a map of a zoo 50 kilometres from the city." 

"We have a map to the wrong zoo?" Sana-chan asked. "Why?" 

Tsuyoshi-kun smiled apologetically. "Really? I guess I didn't read the front when I put it in my bag. I just saw the word 'zoo'." He paused to see Hayama staring at him expressionlessly. "I didn't mean to do it. Honest! I should've read more carefully." 

Hayama turned on his heels. "It doesn't matter. We're out here already, so let's try to get back." 

Sana-chan followed, groaning about starvation, while Tsuyoshi-kun lagged behind. Hayama continued walking in the direction he believed to be towards the zoo, but after another 30 minutes they still hadn't seen anything remotely familiar. 

Sana-chan finally collapsed against a tree, moaning about the end of the world. "I'll never see anyone again. I'll die young, in the prime of my youth! This can't be happening to me! I have so much potential in life. I could become famous--" 

"You're already famous, though," Tsuyoshi-kun pointed out. 

"--and I'll never see the light of day again!" Sana-chan finished, dramatically, ignoring Tsuyoshi-kun's comment. 

Tsuyoshi-kun thrust his hands into his pockets, but quickly pulled his right hand out. "Oh, Sana-chan. I found some candy if you want it." 

"Candy?! Thank you so much!" Sana-chan snatched the package from Tsuyoshi-kun's outstretched hands and threw its contents into her mouth. 

"Why do you have unfinished candy in your pocket?" Hayama asked distrustfully. 

"Don't worry, Hayama. It's not drugged or anything. Oh, I mean..." Tsuyoshi-kun blushed as recent memories entered his mind. Hayama only stared at him, the event still fresh in his own mind as well. 

Sana-chan had meanwhile finished off the candy. Happily restored of her energy, she bounced towards her two companions. "Come on! We still haven't seen the lions!" 

"We haven't seen anything yet," Hayama replied. Tsuyoshi-kun blushed further. 

"Don't be a spoil-snort, Hayama--" 

"It's spoil-sport," Hayama interjected. 

"That's what I said. Anyway, we've seen all sorts of things! See, there's lots of trees and grass and... look! A bird just flew by! Wait for me!" With that, Sana-chan took off after the bird. 

Hayama and Tsuyoshi-kun took off after her, Hayama muttering under his breath, "She's going to get us even more lost." They lost sight of her when she turned behind a particularly large tree. They slowed to a stop, turning about in a circle. 

"Akito-kun, what are we going to do? We've lost her now," Tsuyoshi-kun asked in despair. 

"What are you talking about, Tsuyoshi-kun? Who have we lost?" 

The two turned to see Sana-chan glancing around in bewilderment. "Who's lost, Tsuyoshi-kun?" she repeated. 

"You were," he answered. 

Sana-chan looked at him, puzzled. "Me? How can I be lost? I'm with you guys. Are you sure you're not talking about someone else? Aya-chan, maybe? Where did she go?" 

"Sana-chan, Aya-chan never came with us," Tsuyoshi-kun pointed out. 

"Really? Well, look at what I found!" She darted around the tree to point at a flock of pigeons again. "See? I told you we've seen lots of things!" 

Hayama did a doubletake at the birds, then at their surroundings. "We're back at the entrance," he stated. 

Looking around, Tsuyoshi-kun verified this to be true. "Wow, Sana-chan. You helped us find our way back." 

"What are you talking about, Tsuyoshi-kun? We didn't have to find anything. You're not making any sense today." Sana-chan skipped off towards the lion area, startling the pigeons into flight. 

///// A zoo later... 

"Those snakes were so cute!" Sana-chan exclaimed, exiting the Reptile building. She spotted an ice cream stand in the distance. "Hayama, Hayama! Look!" Sana-chan tugged at Hayama's sleeve persistently, pointing towards the stand. 

Hayama glanced over. "It's an ice cream stand." 

"Yeah! Let's go!" 

"Why? I don't want any ice cream." He received a bonk on the head for his reply. 

"Stupid Hayama! You owe me an ice cream!" 

"What are you talking about? I don't owe you anything." 

"Don't you remember?" 

"No." 

"Well, you owe me an ice cream. Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!" Sana-chan marched circles around Hayama, chanting. 

"Okay, okay. Just shut up," Hayama glared. Sana-chan dragged him over to the stand excitedly. 

"Three chocolate ice creams, please!" She called out. 

As the ice cream vendor handed them their ice cream, Hayama stared at Sana-chan. "Three? I thought I only owed you one." 

"Silly, of course. But you and Tsuyoshi-kun wanted ice cream too." 

"I said I didn't want any." Hayama turned to Tsuyoshi-kun, who took a step back. 

"I didn't say anything," he replied, holding his hands up in defense. 

The vendor cleared his throat expectantly. Hayama glanced up, then dug into his pockets resignedly. 

After Hayama had paid for the ice cream, Sana-chan patted him gleefully on the shoulder. "Hayama, it's so nice to buy us ice cream." 

"You forced me into it." 

"Hayama," Tsuyoshi-kun whispered into his ear. "You should be nicer to her, or she'll never figure out that you like her." Hayama glanced at Tsuyoshi-kun warily. 

"What are you guys talking about? Tell me, tell me, tell me! Why are you guys whispering? I want to know! What are you whispering about?!" 

"Nothing." Hayama turned and headed for the exit. Tsuyoshi-kun sighed, shaking his head. 

Sana-chan ran after Hayama. "Where are you going? Why are you walking away? I want to know!" 

"Shut up." 

"But why are you walking away? Where are we going?" 

Hayama broke into a run. "Crazy girl, stop following me." 

"Hayama, come back! Where are we going?" Sana-chan tackled Hayama to the ground. "Why were we running?" she asked innocently. When she got no response, she continued, "Were you running from me? Aren't we friends?" She smiled at him expectantly, then turned inquisitive. "Hayama, why are you turning blue? Was it the ice cream? Are you trying to match the sky?" 

"Sana-chan, you're squishing him." 

"Oh!" Sana-chan jumped up from her seat on his chest. "Haha! I didn't think I was that heavy." She giggled. "Hayama's so weak. He couldn't even push me off." 

"Whatever," Hayama replied gruffly, rising and dusting himself off. 

Sana-chan beamed at Hayama. "Well, I know what you were going to say anyway. I think we're the best friends in the world!" 

"I never said that! I wasn't even thinking that!" Hayama said indignantly. 

"I think Akito-kun _was_ thinking that," Tsuyoshi-kun replied, smiling. 

"Tsuyoshi-kun, be quiet." 

"Aww, poor Hayama. I think some more ice cream will make you feel better. Let's go home." Sana-chan laughed, patting Hayama on the head. 

"Oh, I won't be able to. Sorry, Sana-chan. I have to help my mom make dinner tonight." Tsuyoshi-kun looked apologetically at Sana-chan. 

"That's okay. We'll walk you home first." 

///// At Tsuyoshi-kun's house... 

"Good night, Tsuyoshi-kun!" Sana-chan waved. 

"Good night. Thanks for asking me to the zoo." 

As Tsuyoshi-kun entered his apartment building, Sana-chan smiled, then turned to Hayama. "He seems to be doing okay without his father. He seems happy." 

Hayama shrugged. "It's hard for him. He has to take care of his mother and little sister." He paused, then added, "It makes him feel more grown-up, though." 

"It makes him feel more grown-up?" Sana-chan repeated. She glanced back at Tsuyoshi-kun's apartment building thoughtfully. "I never thought about that. It's too bad Aya-chan couldn't come. Tsuyoshi-kun would've been extra happy." 

Hayama shuffled his foot awkwardly. "Well..." 

Sana-chan turned to him expectantly. "Hmm?" 

Hayama stared at the ground. Tsuyoshi's words kept echoing in his head. _'You should be nicer to her, or she'll never figure out that you like her.'_ He shook his head quickly. "Argh.." 

Sana-chan blinked. "Argh?" 

"No, um, I mean.. it was... nice of you to... invite him along anyway." 

A soft smile spread across Sana-chan's features. "It was your idea though. I just wanted to go to the zoo." 

"Yeah, well..." At a loss for words, Hayama kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk. 

"Let's go home, Hayama," Sana-chan suggested understandingly. Hayama silently followed her lead, fighting a blush from spreading over his face. 

They had walked on for another 10 minutes in silence before Sana-chan stopped to peer at Hayama. "Hayama, you're looking a little funny. Are you feeling okay?" 

"I'm fine," Hayama replied gruffly. 

Sana-chan straightened. "That's good. I always want you to feel happy." Hayama looked up at her quickly, then averted his eyes again. Sana-chan smiled. "I'd better go home. Mama and Rei-kun will be worried. See you at school, Hayama." Waving, Sana-chan turned to leave, but a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. She turned back to look at Hayama questioningly, but when he stood there in silence, she prodded him with her free hand. "Hayama, are you sure you're okay?" 

"I said I'm fine." He hesitated. "I..." 

Sana-chan smiled. "Forgot again, did you?" 

"No." 

She blinked. She managed out a "No?" before Hayama leaned in to press his lips against hers. 

"G'night," he mumbled, quickly releasing her and running off towards his house. 

Sana-chan brought a hand to her lips in surprise, staring after him in shock. 

Later, when she was tucked into the covers of her bed, Sana-chan stared at the ceiling in silent contemplation. _Another kiss... Why does Hayama keep doing that? Does he really like me?_ As she replayed the kiss in her mind, a soft smile played across her features and she drifted off to sleep. 

A short distance away, at the Hayama residence, Hayama was silently brooding over his actions, still not believing he was capable of a kiss and not a statement. He relived this most recent kiss in his head as well, and smiled at the thought. 

And the city slowly fell asleep under a clear night sky. 

/// The End... 

Well? How's that for you die-hard S/H fans? (like moi ;P) This one took me a while longer to write than Ch. 3... mostly because I actually wanted this one to be thought through and not put together at the moment. Going off on a tangent, I have yet to see the JH/NY episodes, goddamit! It's not fair! Those are the ones I'm really looking forward to, since that's where everything starts to liven up a little. (just so Sana and Hayama can get together at the end... awww...)   
Well, hope you all liked the 4th chapter. Till next time, ciao. 


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